Written Answers Wednesday 23 January 2008

Scottish Executive

2016 European Football Championships

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding might be available to increase the capacity of a new or existing football stadium in the event of Scotland being successful in a bid to host the 2016 European Football Championships.

Stewart Maxwell: Until a feasibility study has been completed it is not possible to advise on additional funding to increase the capacity of a new or existing football stadium in the event of Scotland being successful in a bid to host the 2016 European Football Championship Finals.

  Initial discussions have taken place and the early stages of a feasibility study are on-going.

Cancer

Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce screening for bowel cancer in Scotland; when such screening is likely to be introduced, and how.

Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-3284 on 27 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions & Answers Search .

Child Protection

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many calls were made to the national Child Protection Line pilots held in Highland, Edinburgh, north-east Scotland and Midlothian; in what period the calls were made, and how these figures compared with the numbers of calls made to social work and children’s agencies prior to the pilots being introduced

Adam Ingram: We do not hold information centrally on the numbers of calls made to local social work and children’s agencies.

  The CPLine has been operating as a national service since its launch last February. The following table shows the number of calls received each month from February 2007 to December 2007.

  

Month
Incoming Calls
Calls Dealt With
Referrals to Local Agencies – Calls About Specific Child or Incident
Info/ Literature Requests1
Incomplete, Hoax, Silent Calls, Wrong Numbers etc


February 2007
124
98
-2
-2
-2


March 2007
89
82
32
42
12


April 2007
53
40
9
19
5


May 2007
37
36
8
27
7


June 2007
46
44
12
26
1


July 2007
31
27
7
13
7


August 2007
36
33
12
15
14


September 2007
59
41
9
15
17


October 2007
42
36
6
17
13


November 2007
46
34
11
12
11


December 2007
24
20
5
6
9


Totals:
587
491
111
192
96



  Notes:

  1. Including referrals to national agencies such as ChildLine and ParentLine.

  2. Information on outcome of calls is not available for February 2007.

Children and Young People

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what levels of success have been measured by the Getting it right for every child programme.

Adam Ingram: Success will ultimately be determined by the experiences of children and families in how help is co-ordinated and delivered to them, how they are involved in these decisions and what the improvements in children’s outcomes are. This will form part of the evaluation process on which we expect an interim report this spring. However, considerable progress has been made in implementing Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) both in the pathfinder areas and in moving the agenda forward nationally. The pathfinders for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse and their project boards have been established and training of staff is underway in the new approach and forms, building on the work in Highland and in the National Domestic Abuse Delivery Group. Children and families have been engaged in the development of materials and protocols. In Highland, business processes have been streamlined. Guidance has been prepared, including a model for assessment of needs and risk and is being used in the training of staff initially in Inverness and subsequently across Highland. Since June 2007, revised procedures based on the GIRFEC approach there have resulted in 70% of children brought to the attention of the police for non-offending issues having their needs met other than by referral to the reporter. Nationally, we are promoting a Learning Community to enable areas to share and exchange experiences and have established a communication network to underpin this. All of these are milestones in some of the work streams needed to implement the GIRFEC approach.

Children and Young People

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what total amount was allocated to the Educational Attainment of Looked After Children scheme in each year from 2003 and 2007 and what percentage of the budget for children and young people this represented.

Fiona Hyslop: Whilst local government had flexibility to allocate other resources to this area, the specific amounts allocated to local government to support pilot initiatives aimed at improving the educational attainment of looked after children from 2003 to 2007 were as follows:

  2003-04: Nil

  2004-05: Nil

  2005-06: £645,544

  2006-07: £2,466,549.

  Some spending on children and young people will have been subsumed within budgets that covered services to people of all ages – e.g. community health – and as such, it is not possible to identify the total budget for children and young people over this period. It is not therefore possible to present this as a percentage of the budget for children and young people.

Children and Young People

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what total amount was allocated to the National Fostering and Kinship Care Strategy in each year from 2003 to 2007 and what percentage of the budget for children and young people this represented.

Fiona Hyslop: The total funding allocated to the development and implementation of the National Fostering and Kinship Care Strategy between 2003 and 2007 was:

  2003-04: £0

  2004-05: £0

  2005-06: £3 million

  2006-07: £8.03 million.

  Some spending on children and young people will have been subsumed within budgets that covered services to people of all ages – e.g. community health – and as such, it is not possible to identify the total budget for children and young people over this period. It is not therefore possible to present this as a percentage of the budget for children and young people.

Dentistry

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-7656, S3W-7657, S3W-7658, S3W-7659, S3W-7660 and S3W-7661 by Shona Robison on 14 January 2008, what the timetable is for the proposed incremental introduction of the comprehensive programme which will ultimately serve very young, nursery and school children.

Shona Robison: Scotland will be divided into three areas, north, east and west for the purpose of Childsmile with Childsmile Nursery/School and Practice planned to roll out in the north in 2008-09. Childsmile Practice to rollout in 2009-10 in the east and Childsmile Nursery/School to roll out in 2009-10 in the west.

Dentistry

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental students attended Dundee Dental School in each undergraduate year in the most recent academic year for which figures are available.

Fiona Hyslop: The number of undergraduate students studying pre-clinical and clinical dentistry at the University of Dundee (Dundee Dental School) during the academic year 2006-07 (the latest year for which the figures are available) are shown in the following table.

  Number of Undergraduate Dentistry Students at Dundee University - 2006-07

  

Year of Study programme
1
2
3
4
5
Total


Number of students
75
90
70
55
55
345



  Sources: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

  Notes:

  In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

  Numbers may not sum to totals exactly due to rounding.

Eating Disorders

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been diagnosed with an eating disorder in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: The latest available information is shown in the following tables.

  Estimates, from a sample of general practices considered broadly representative of the Scottish population are given in the following table. These data are not available by NHS board area:

  Patients (Estimated) Consulting for Anorexia, Bulimia and Other Psychological Eating Disorders

  

Financial Years
 


2003-04
3,200


2004-05
2,900


2005-06
3,100



  Note: Rounded to the nearest 100.

  Patients discharged from non-obstetric, non psychiatric acute hospitals with any diagnosis of eating disorder are shown in the following table:

  

Years Ending 31 March
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007


Scotland
180
193
190
198
209


NHS Boards
 
 
 
 
 


Argyll and Clyde (former)
12
10
11
5
n/a


Ayrshire and Arran
11
12
8
19
12


Borders
2
3
3
4
5


Dumfries and Galloway
10
11
4
6
1


Fife
8
11
5
10
8


Forth Valley
8
8
6
10
4


Grampian
26
34
30
27
36


Greater Glasgow (and *Clyde)
32
34
31
28
*46


Highland (*including Argyll)
14
7
13
13
*14


Lanarkshire
14
14
17
26
20


Lothian
34
48
52
43
55


Orkney Islands
0
1
0
0
1


Shetland Islands
1
0
2
1
0


Tayside
11
7
10
6
14


Western Isles
1
0
1
3
1


Other
0
2
0
2
2



  Source: SMR01.

  Patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals with any diagnosis of eating disorder for the years available are shown in the following table:

  

Year Ending 31 March
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005


Scotland
124
93
103
104
113


NHS Boards
 
 
 
 
 


Argyll and Clyde (former)
12
5
8
8
8


Ayrshire and Arran
7
9
7
8
7


Borders
2
4
4
5
3


Dumfries and Galloway
3
2
5
5
7


Fife
9
6
8
11
5


Forth Valley
8
8
5
5
5


Grampian
8
11
6
8
14


Greater Glasgow
18
14
13
13
13


Highland
3
5
7
3
10


Lanarkshire
15
8
11
7
6


Lothian
25
16
18
19
22


Orkney
0
0
0
0
2


Tayside
13
5
9
12
9


Western Isles
1
0
2
1
2


Other
3
1
0
2
1



  Source: SMR04.

Health

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing’s ministerial statement on health strategy on 12 December 2007, whether it will include Clydebank in the pilot scheme for a nurse-led minor injuries clinic.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Better Health, Better Care Action Plan which I announced on 12 December 2007 sets out our commitment to improve access to health care services. This includes a pilot to provide walk-in access to a range of primary care services, such as nurse-led minor injury clinics and simple diagnostic tests, through community pharmacies. These will be available during normal pharmacy hours and, in some cases, extended to include out-of-hours periods such as evenings, Saturdays and Sundays.

  The pilot will take place in five NHS board areas: NHS Grampian, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside. We will agree the locations of pilot sites with each board but the focus in the first instance will be major commuter points and shopping areas. We expect all pilot sites will be up and running by the end of March 2008.

  The pilot sites will be subject to on-going evaluation to determine how best community pharmacy walk-in service models could be applied in other areas; the sustainability of community pharmacy walk-in services and any future development of walk-in services.

Health

Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take in light of any loss of services for those suffering from Huntington’s disease.

Shona Robison: The funding of services for those suffering from Huntington’s disease is a matter for NHS boards.

  The Scottish Government values the services which the Scottish Huntington’s Association provides for those living with the condition, and their families and carers, as well as the professionals involved in their care. These exemplify the good working relationships between the third sector and statutory agencies which we described in the Better Health, Better Care Action Plan, and which need to underpin our general approach to the management of all long-term conditions.

  There are good examples of constructive partnerships between NHS boards and the association delivering services for those of their resident populations who have Huntington’s disease, and I would expect all NHS boards to follow those examples.

  The Scottish Government, through the Section 16b of the voluntary grant scheme, is currently committed to a three year funding scheme with the Scottish Huntington’s Association. The total allocation for the grant is £60,000.

Health

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of adults do not suffer from presbycusis.

Shona Robison: There is no internationally acknowledged definition of presbycusis. However, Medical Research Council information for Great Britain, indicates the percentages of bilateral hearing problems in the following age groups:

  60-64: 29.73%

  65-69: 44.18%

  70-74: 45.41%

  75-79: 79.72%

  80+: 93.40%.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes will be made to health, equality, access and treatment targets in respect of hospital delayed discharges.

Shona Robison: The current HEAT target, agreed with NHS boards and local authorities, is to eliminate all inappropriate delays outwith the six week discharge planning period by April 2008. Following that we expect that to be maintained as a standard, thereby ensuring no patient is inappropriately delayed in hospital for more than six weeks.

Health

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last had discussions with other EU regional legislatures on matters related to health.

Nicola Sturgeon: There have been no such discussions at ministerial level. The Scottish Government will be looking to engage with national governments to place Scotland as a nation rather than a region, but we will continue to cooperate with EU regions in areas where there is sufficient interest, goodwill and mutual benefit. We are currently developing a European Strategy which will include the Scottish Government’s engagement with our European partners.

Healthy Living

Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to promote greater awareness of the dangers of high cholesterol levels and to inform the public of healthy diet and lifestyle options to avoid heart disease and stroke.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government, NHS health boards, health professionals, the Food Standards Agency (Scotland) and our partners in the voluntary and private sectors provide information to the public on the risks of heart disease and stroke associated with a poor diet, inactivity, overweight, tobacco and alcohol use through a range of communications methods. This includes specific advice on the risks associated with consuming saturated fats which can increase cholesterol levels. For example, the Keep Well programme of targeted health checks strengthens primary care services in the most deprived areas of Scotland with a focus on cardiovascular disease and its main risk factors, especially blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and diabetes.

Higher Education

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the destination of leavers from higher education institutions, broken down by (a) mode of study, (b) level of qualification, (c) domicile and (d) institution, as shown in the DLHE survey, showing also the (i) the full-time paid work category broken down into (A) graduate and (B) non-graduate type work and (ii) UK destination category broken down into (A) Scotland and (B) the rest of the United Kingdom, for each academic year from 2002-03 to 2005-06, giving unrounded data and highlighting any major problems of low response.

Fiona Hyslop: 1. The information requested is given in tables 1 to 5 of Destinations of graduates from Scottish universities: 2002-03 to 2005-06, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 44474).

  2. The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) is a voluntary annual survey conducted by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) of all graduates and their destinations six months after graduation. The data contained within the survey refers only to those graduates who responded to the survey.

  3. The coverage of the DLHE survey is limited to qualifiers of UK and other European Union (EU) domicile. It excludes those domiciled outside the EU. Qualifiers from part-time study programmes are included.

  For DLHE in 2005-06 there were 262,635 valid responses in the UK from a possible total of 350,995 qualifiers from full-time programmes, a percentage with known destinations of 74.8% (2004-05: 76.0%; 2003-04: 77.3%). There were 65,120 valid responses from a possible total of 94,920 qualifiers from part-time programmes, a percentage with known destinations of 68.6% (67.5%; 68.2%). In total there were 327,760 valid responses from 445,910 qualifiers, giving a survey-wide figure of 73.5% (74.2%; 75.5%). There is no evidence that response numbers from Scottish universities are different.

  Response Rates to the DLHE Survey by Mode of Study and Domicile: 2005-06

  

 
Responses
Qualifiers
Rate


Full-time UK
253,960
322,745
78.70%


Full-time other EU
14,520
28,250
51.40%


Part-time UK
66,175
91,455
72.40%


Part-time other EU
1,745
3,465
50.40%



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

  Note: Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest five.

  3. Student and graduate data is supplied to Scottish Government by HESA and is on condition that figures are rounded to the nearest 5. 0, 1, 2 have been rounded to 0.

Housing

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many social rented houses were built in (a) 2004, (b) 2005, (c) 2006 and (d) 2007.

Stewart Maxwell: The information requested is published on the Scottish Government website at:  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewBuildSummary .

Human Trafficking

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-7041 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 December 2007, how much funding has been set aside to be drawn down by local authorities on a case-by-case basis to cover the cost of providing support to victims of human trafficking.

Kenny MacAskill: £20,000 has been set aside in the current financial year to fund local authorities to support, on a case-by-case basis, adult victims of human trafficking.

Justice

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-7306 by Kenny MacAskill on 12 December 2007, how it defines communities hardest hit by crime.

Kenny MacAskill: Funds recovered using the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 will be reinvested to create an exciting programme of activities for young people throughout Scotland. Particular attention will be paid to those communities that have suffered most from crime. The organisations charged with delivering the activities, such as the Scottish Football Association, have committed to work with the Police Service and Community Safety Partnerships to identify these communities. It will be for those agencies to make this assessment but it is likely to utilise a mixture of local and national statistics including those published as part of the Recorded Crime in Scotland 2006-07 statistical bulletin.

NHS Funding

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications would be if £12.5 million per annum was cut from the Health Information budget for the next three years.

Nicola Sturgeon: The eHealth budget funds a number of key national systems supporting the operation of NHS Scotland, such as Screening Programmes, General Practice IT systems and the communications infrastructure. In addition, it supports boards in making the changes to IT which will underpin the wider improvements signalled in Better Health, Better Care; such as 18 weeks and improvements to the management of long-term conditions. The priorities for future improvement will be set out in a new eHealth Strategy scheduled for the spring of 2008.

  A reduction of £12.5 million per annum, unless the shortfall was made up by NHS boards from their general allocations, would mean a reduction in existing services and commitments in both 2008-09 and 2009-10. In 2010-11 it would reduce the scope for the new eHealth Strategy to enable the improvements in patient care to which we are committed.

National Health Service

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used to refer decisions to independent scrutiny panels following NHS boards’ decisions on reviews of services.

Nicola Sturgeon: The consultation on the future arrangements to introduce Independent examination of proposals for major change in NHS services , is due to close on 25 January 2008. I will make an announcement about future arrangements once the responses to this have been analysed. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/10/26111633/0 .

  The preferred option proposes the involvement of an independent expert panel at beginning of the public engagement process when a board is beginning to gather evidence and develop options for consultation. The panel would assess the information and evidence available, and ensure that the full range of safe and sustainable options were being identified and evaluated in a clear and transparent way.

  The panel’s report would be published before the formal consultation stage, and the board would be required to reflect its conclusions in the final proposal for public consultation. The report would also be available to ministers as an input to the final decision-making and approval process.

National Health Service

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what weight it places on public consultation in the NHS given the restricted public input to independent scrutiny panels.

Nicola Sturgeon: We place great importance on public involvement in the design and delivery of NHS services and this is reflected in our recently published Better Health Better Care Action Plan which puts the interests of those who use the services at the heart of all that we do to improve health and health care in Scotland. The action plan is available at:  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/12/13102832/0 .

  The independent scrutiny panel which considered revised proposals for service change in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire was established after a period of extensive public consultation which clearly identified that the public’s view was that Accident and Emergency services should be retained at Ayr and Monklands Hospitals. Consequently, the priority for the panel was to deliver robust scrutiny and engagement whilst minimising delays and uncertainty around these services.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8401 on 23 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions & Answers Search.

People with Dementia

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had on the introduction of SVQ courses focused on the care for elderly patients with dementia.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Social Services Council, which is responsible for registering people who work in social care and regulating their education and training, has published a skills set setting out the SVQ units most relevant for staff working with people with dementia. The content of the skills set links with SVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care.

People with Dementia

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to implement the findings of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s report, Older and Wiser , and in particular its emphasis on improving the environment of continuing care wards.

Shona Robison: Following on from the publication of the Mental Welfare Commission report, Older and Wiser , NHS boards were asked to review services and practice in continuing care wards in light of the findings of the report and to produce an action plan to ensure they meet appropriate standards for the privacy and dignity of patients and access to physical and mental activities and care appropriate to their needs. Responses from health boards showed progress on key issues. NHS boards are being encouraged to continue implementation of their action plans.

  We have identified dementia as a national priority and a range of work is in progress to further improve dementia care:

  we are funding a joint pilot project between the Dementia Services Development Centre, NHS Forth Valley and other partners to improve local dementia services;

  NHS Quality Improvement Scotland published in December 2007 National Standards for Integrated Care Pathways for mental health, including the management and treatment of dementia, and

  we have established a National Forum on Dementia, involving key stakeholders, including the Mental Welfare Commission, to advise on key aspects of dementia care.

People with Dementia

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that care home managers are appropriately trained in dealing with older people with dementia.

Shona Robison: Care home providers are required by regulations to ensure that staff employed in the care home receive training appropriate to the work they are to perform. The National Care Standards - Care Homes for Older People  also require that the care which residents receive is provided by management and staff whose professional training and expertise allows them to meet the residents’ needs. The Care Commission as the national regulator of care services ensures that regulations and Standards are met.

  Qualifications criteria for registration by the Scottish Social Services Council take account of the roles undertaken by managers and the skills they require. Recognised qualifications must meet the principles of integration of practice and learning, be recognised within the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), and underpin a knowledge and value base that is consistent with the Code of Practice for Social Service Workers. Once registered a worker will be required to undertake Post Registration Training and Learning to maintain and update their skills and knowledge

Police

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police hours on the beat could be provided for £1 million.

Kenny MacAskill: This is an operational matter for Chief Constables. Attributing cost to any particular police activity will depend on the definitions used and variables such as the rank of the officers concerned, shift patterns in place and other operational considerations.

Police

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the complement of police officers will be once the additional 52 officers now being trained finish that training.

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the complement of police officers will be once the additional 150 officers due to undergo training finish that training.

Kenny MacAskill: Police officer and police staff numbers are collected on a quarterly basis by the Scottish Government and placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The next quarterly strength return will be published in February 2008.

Police

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers need to be trained in the current financial year to maintain police numbers at the level of May 2007.

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers will need to be trained in 2008-09 to maintain police numbers at the level of May 2007.

Kenny MacAskill: Levels of police recruitment and establishment are an operational matter for chief constables. Police officer numbers by whole-time equivalent are collected on a quarterly basis by the Scottish Government and placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

  The last quarterly figures show that the numbers of whole-time equivalent police officers in Scotland had increased by 72 since the end March 2007 and by 42 since the end of June. The next figures will be available in February 2008.

Science

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed in the life sciences sector in (a) Dundee and (b) Scotland in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nicola Sturgeon: Specific information on the number of people employed in the life sciences sector is not centrally available.

  However information on staff employed in NHSScotland is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics at www.isdscotland.org/workforce. Section F gives details of therapeutic, health care science, technical, pharmacy and ambulance staff. Life sciences staff are included in figures for Healthcare Science but are not explicitly identifiable.

  Tables F1 and F2 show the whole-time equivalent (WTE) and head count of health care science staff by specialty and NHS board and region. Specific information on the number of health care science staff employed in Dundee is not centrally available. WTE adjusts headcount to take account of part time staff. Latest available data is at 30 September 2006.

Sport

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding from sportscotland’s Building for Sport programme would be available for the (a) redevelopment of an existing football stadium to include community facilities and (b) development of a new football stadium to accommodate a professional football club as well as community facilities.

Stewart Maxwell: Any eligible project can apply to sportscotland’s Building for Sport programme for funding under their current funding guidelines to improve community sports facilities.

  The redevelopment of an existing football stadium to include community facilities and the development of a new football stadium to accommodate a professional football club as well as community facilities would be a matter for discussion between the football club concerned and their local authority.

  Local authorities are responsible for the provision of community sports facilities.

  Funding for sport is included within the overall local government finance settlement and it is the responsibility of each local authority, in conjunction with its community planning partners, to allocate funding on the basis of local needs and priorities, including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments. We will continue to work in partnership with local government to drive forward our sports priorities.

Sport

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last had discussions with other EU regional legislatures on matters related to sport.

Stewart Maxwell: No meetings or consultations have taken place with other European Union regional legislatures on matters related to sport as of yet. Sports Officials attended the EU Sports Directors Conference on 12 to 14 July 2007 where Sports Directors from the 27 member states were present. Discussions were held on the European Commission White Paper on Sport, health in sport and anti-doping .

Sport

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Communities and Sport will meet Aberdeen City Council to discuss the need for an Olympic-standard swimming pool in Aberdeen.

Stewart Maxwell: I have no current plans to meet with Aberdeen City Council to discuss the proposed swimming pool in Aberdeen.

  Sportscotland has accepted an invitation to join the project board, which has been set up to take forward the swimming pool proposal and a meeting has been scheduled for 28 January.

Sportscotland

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it expects to make its decision on the future of sportscotland public.

Stewart Maxwell: The Minister for Communities and Sport announced the outcome of the review of sportscotland to Parliament on Wednesday 9 January 2008.

Sportscotland

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Minister for Communities and Sport’s ministerial statement on the future of sportscotland on 9 January 2008, how many existing sportscotland jobs will be (a) relocated to the new headquarters in Glasgow and (b) dispersed between the Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Aberdeen hubs.

Stewart Maxwell: The majority of jobs will be relocated to Glasgow, it is anticipated that approximately:

  80 to 100 jobs will go to Glasgow

  30 to 35 jobs will remain in Edinburgh

  five to 10 jobs will go to Aberdeen

  five to 10 jobs will go to Stirling.

  It should be noted these figures are indicative and illustrative and final numbers will not be available until meetings with sportscotland’s management team, human resources team and staff are complete.

Sportscotland

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Minister for Communities and Sport’s ministerial statement on the future of sportscotland on 9 January 2008, what the overall costs will be of the relocation and dispersal of sportscotland’s staff to the Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Aberdeen hubs.

Stewart Maxwell: The previous Executive’s plan for the relocation of sportscotland is estimated at a cost of £15 million at today’s prices. No money was identified in the previous administration’s budget to cover the costs of this relocation.

  The cost of sportscotland’s relocation will now be approximately £7.9 million. However, it is intended to sell Caledonia House, sportscotland’s headquarters, the current market price of which is approximately between £4 to £6 million. Sportscotland will retain the receipts from this sale to re-invest in sport.

  However, it will not possible to provide exact and final figures until the process has been completed. The final figures will be released as soon as they become available.